New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Monday said his government would take a firm stand against any criminal activity linked to the Khalistan issue, stressing that while the country upholds freedom of expression, it will not allow intimidation or violence.
In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Luxon acknowledged that the Khalistan issue has caused significant “suffering" in India, but said it would not hinder the relationship between New Zealand and India.
Asked whether the issue could affect bilateral ties, he replied, “No, I don’t think so," adding, “I mean, firstly, what I acknowledge is on the Khalistan issue, you know, that has caused a huge amount of pain and suffering and a tremendous loss of lives and livelihoods within India, and we’re well aware of that. You know, we are also a country that, you know, has very clear rules that, yes, while we’re a liberal democracy, we expect freedom of expression and free speech. We expect people to be compliant with our rules."
Reaffirming his government's position, Luxon said, “And any threats of intimidation or violence is utterly unacceptable, and our police are alert to those issues, and manage those well," he remarked.
Responding to a question about whether New Zealand would allow a Khalistan referendum, the Prime Minister described the scenario as “hypothetical" and said any decision would be guided by police assessments of potential security threats.
“Well, it’s all quite hypothetical. It would depend on, you know, what our police are assessing as the risk or the threat that’s sitting there. But again, as I said to you, we have pretty clear rights and responsibilities in this country… You don’t just have a right without taking the responsibility as well. We would expect people to be compliant with that as well," he said, adding that demonstrations held in 2024 had remained within the law and were closely monitored by police.
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